The Session >> Tunes >> The Mug Of Brown Ale (jig)

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Mug Of Brown Ale

jig

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on August 12th 2002 by gian marco.

This tune has been added to 351 tunebooks.

Also known as 6/8 A Gilbert, Apples In Winter, The Basket Of Shamrocks, Clare, Clare's, The Clare, Delaney's Drummers, Delaney’s Drummers, Ginger's Favourite, The Mug Of Ale, Paddy In London, Winter Apples.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Mug Of Brown Ale, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Ador
g/2f/2|:eAA fAA|~g3 age|dBG GAG|~B3 Bcd|
eAA fAA|~g3 age|dBd gdB|ABA ABd:|
efg ~a3|aba age|dBd ~g3|gba ged|
efg ~g3|aba age|dBd gdB|ABA ABd|
efg ~a3|aba age|dBd ~g3|gba ged|
efg a2b|^c'ac' age|dBd gdB|ABA A2||

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments
The Mug Of Brown Ale sheetmusic
Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Mug of Brown ale

Sorece: Michael J. Cashin, Chiago, 13 July 1928 (recorded as "Ginger's Favourite")
Transcription: Gian Marco Pietrasanta (craniota on "thesession.org")

# Posted on August 12th 2002 by gian marco

Mug of Brown Ale

This is VERY similar to Delaney's Drummers in O'Neill (305) and at the session I used to play in in Reading (UK) Frank the banjo player called it Paddy in London. Whatever! It's a good tune and we used to put it with The Top of the Cork Road I think...it's along time ago now and my brain is full.

# Posted on August 16th 2002 by Geoff Pollitt

Paddy in London

I also know this by Paddy in London. Mug of Brown Ale is often attached to this one:

EAA ABd| edB ccA| BGG DGG| BdB BAG| EAA ABd| edB efg| edc BcD| eAA A

# Posted on April 24th 2003 by pchaffee

I've also heard this real with a high C at the end, rather than a C#. I like the slide into the high C better, personally.

# Posted on September 8th 2004 by Crysania

Comparison

My Former Wife: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/3418
The Jug of Brown Ale: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2393

# Posted on July 9th 2005 by slainte

Movie trivia

Did I really spot this tune in The Commitments, played by a fiddler who turns up at Jimmy Rabbitte's audition, or have I mistaken it? (And while we're at it, there's also a piper, what does he play?)

# Posted on September 19th 2005 by sixholes

Another variation

This is a different variation I know, heard it on the Planxty 2004
Live DVD.

eAA fAA|~g3 age|dBA GFG|BAB dBd
eAA fAA|gfg age|dBd gdB|1BAG Agf:|2BAG A2d||
efg ~a3|aba age|dBd g2f|gag ged|
efg aba|aba age|dBd gdB|1BAG A2d:|2BAG Agf||

# Posted on October 16th 2006 by thesheep

Old man dillon

It also sounds a bit like Old Man Dillon, the first tune on Terry Bingham's...

# Posted on January 24th 2007 by charliechamo

I don't think so. You probably confused two different tunes with similar titles.

# Posted on January 25th 2007 by slainte

Also recorded by Tom Ennis and James Morrison on a 78 rpm

A lower key version sometimes comes up in Clare, associated with the fiddleplaying of Nora Lenihan, the sister of singer Tom Lenihan

http://www.concertina.net/tunes_detail.html?rec_id=157

# Posted on January 25th 2007 by Prof. Prlwytzkofski

A personal connection

I am especially fond of this tune. The renowned luthier and multi-instrumentalist, Grit Laskin, lived for a time in my parents' house, and he wrote lyrics to this tune called The Life Of A New Mother when I was a baby. It is recorded on his first album, Unmasked. He called the tradtional melody Paddy in London, but it is also known as The Clare Jig. I also listened to this many times on La Ronde des voyageurs, by Éritage, which is one of my favourite records of all time. Interestingly, both of these records were originally released under Fogerty's Cove Music, which was singer Stan Rogers' independant record label.

# Posted on February 12th 2007 by DuncanCameron

East Galway Version

Here's a version from the fiddle playing of Mairin Fahy, a niece of Aggie Whyte from Ballinakill, East Galway. It has a nice ending.

K: Ador
f|eAA fAA|~g3 age|dBA ~G3|BAG Bcd|
eAA fAA|~g3 age|def gdB|cAA A2:|
z|efg ~a3|aba age|def ~g3|gba ged|
efg ~a3|aba age|def gdB|cAA A2:|

Because of the similar endings, I like it followed by The Humours of Ballingarry: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/4191

# Posted on February 15th 2007 by slainte

Mug of Brown Ale

There's an audio clip of this jig over at http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/mug_of_brown_ale/.

# Posted on January 27th 2008 by Bannerman

Ever since I learned this tune I couldn't stand the fact that its most common name around here is "The mug of brown ale." Such a bland name for such a great tune. I think I'll call it the Clare jig from now on.

# Posted on April 6th 2008 by Whiddler

A Mug of Brown Ale ~ to conclude, include and begin

And what's wrong with a good mug of brown ale? If you'd been working your ass off ploughing fields all day since before sunrise, or cutting turf, or fishing, or delvering mail, or milking cows ~ or any of the other hard labour not uncommon in old Eire, well, sitting down at the end of the day to a mug of brown ale, the usual, from light brown to black-brown porter/stout ~ that is as near to heaven as you might imagine for that small moment of relief of thirst and the settling affect on worries and the loosening of the tools of chat that a little thirst quenching and alcohol can bring ~ and the perfect complement and lubricaation for music and maybe a little dancing...

Don't devalue what you obviously don't understand... ;-)

# Posted on April 6th 2008 by ceolachan

Haphazardly renaming tunes because you don't like the name of a thing, proof you also lack an understanding of the roots to it all ~ well, that's also missing the point to this thing we're wrapped up in, and, really, a kind of disrespect. We'd be in hell if every tune was named after the county of its origin... How many "Clare Jigs" would we be wading through? Isn't "Gan Ainm" enough mystery for you? It's not like common sense will help here, so you go ahead and rename everything you dislike the accepted or more common names for. Most of us have a name or more for that sort of thing, and none that I can think of are complementary... :-/

# Posted on April 6th 2008 by ceolachan

"A / The Clare Jig"

~ but realizing that sometimes alternates for 'gan ainm' and a failing memory come in handy... However, there are more interesting alternatives titles for this lovely little number... like the lovely lilt and promise of a "Mug of Brown Ale".... :-)

# Posted on April 6th 2008 by ceolachan

You can listen to this played by the Flanagan brothers here:
http://juneberry78s.com/sounds/mo33013t01.mp3

# Posted on September 28th 2008 by jakep

"Also known as Apples In Winter"

- what? Isn't that a completely different tune?

# Posted on May 29th 2010 by breqwas

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